216 THE GOLDFINCH. 



nest. She was sitting on it, and it appeared, from the bones 

 and hair strewed under, that she lived upon the field-mouse. 

 The whole was neatly thatched, and had a hollow in the middle 

 to contain the Owl, but no passage leading to the inside." 



Our Goldfinches partake a good deal of this sociable character, 

 for they are usually seen in little flights calling each other 

 together, and betraying uneasiness if separated from their 

 friends. They are also docile, easily tamed, and have occasion- 

 ally been known to show a certain degree of confidence in 

 man, when they found no danger to be apprehended, as the 

 following will prove. In the spring of 1827, a Goldfinch had 

 been lost from a cage which was left hanging up, and the door 

 open, in the passage-entrance to a back court of a house in a 

 country town in the West of England ; when a Goldfinch was 

 one morning found feeding in it, and the door was closed 

 upon the prisoner ; but, as it appeared to be a female, it was 

 shortly after let out again. In the course, however, of about 

 two hours it returned, and re-entered the cage, when it was 

 again shut in, and once more, after a short time released ; and 

 these visits were repeated daily, for a considerable time. She 

 was then missing for a few days, but then returned, accom- 

 panied by a male bird ; when she entered the cage and fed as 

 usual, leaving her companion, who appeared rather more shy, 

 sitting on the outside wires of the cage, from whence he 

 shortly flew to a neighbouring tree, until she joined him. 

 They then went away, and were absent so long, that 

 nobody thought anything more about them ; when, at the 

 end of seven or eight weeks, she again made her appearance, 

 accompanied not only by her former companion, but by four 

 full-grown young ones, when she entered the cage and fed as 

 usual. But as she could not persuade her brood to follow her 

 example, she finally went off, and from that time was never 

 seen again. 



Small birds seldom live above eight or ten years, but Gold- 

 finches have been known to live sixteen or eighteen years. We 

 have the authority of a very eminent naturalist, for one having 

 attained to the age of twenty-three years ; * at last it grew so 

 * Gesner. 



